Could circulating fetuin A be a biomarker of aortic valve stenosis?

International Journal of Cardiology

Aortic valve stenosis (AVS) is a multifactorial-progressive pathological process. In the past decades, many studies have focus their attention on circulating biomarkers able to identify AVS and/or to predict its progression. One of the many biomarkers studied is the fetuin A. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to evaluate the correlation between fetuin A levels and end-stage AVS.

The Authors of this review performed a systematic search in three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus), looking for studies that compared control subjects with AVS patients and that have measured fetuin A circulating levels in both groups.

The meta-analysis shows that AVS patients have significant lower circulating levels of fetuin A compared to control subjects. However, dedicated studies with large and matched cohorts are needed to validate these findings, evaluating if there is a real link or just a mere association.